Christmas 2010

Our family picture is difficult with the dogs!
Daddy is so funny!
Grandma and Grandpa Merkel
Four Generations
Woo-hoo! Lots of snow = lots of snow days!
Rachel, Chris, Michael, and Beckett
Beckett finally got to meet the other side of the family!
Michael, Beckett, and Sophia
Martha and Beckett
Grandpa Robbins, Joe, and Beckett
Jenn, me, Amanda, and Michele with Beckett and Keegan
Jeff, Michelle, and Beckett
Kim and Beckett
Jana and Beckett
Grandma and Grandpa Stone and Beckett

Well, the holiday season is over and boy, was it eventful. Our little family traveled all over the U.S. to visit family and friends. We started off with a little extra vacation time thanks to the blizzard that hit West Virginia. My school was cancelled Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, so we left on Monday and had a few extra days in O'Fallon. In O'Fallon, we got to visit my mom and dad, many of my friends, Joe's aunt, uncle, cousin, and dad, and we went to visit my grandma (who recently turned 95) in the nursing home. I cherish every minute that we get to spend with her and I'm so happy that she got to see Beckett again. We had our annual "Tom 'n Jerry's" at the Towne Lounge and after the new year, got to see my cousin Jeff and his new wife, Michelle, and my Aunt Jana and Uncle Rick. It was great to see everyone.

After Christmas we headed to Texas (Beckett's native land) and got to see Joe's family. It was the first time everyone got to meet Beckett with the exception of Rachel, so it was a very special time for everyone. Beckett loved his first Christmas and was spoiled rotten. Unfortunately, his favorite gift was the wrapping paper.

Beckett has changed so much just in the past few weeks. He is "bear crawling" now. He can get anywhere he wants to go, but I don't know if it is technically considered crawling. He can also stand with help and navigate with his walker pretty well. He may walk before he officially crawls! He is also doing a lot of babbling and saying new syllables. My personal favorite is "Blah, blah, blah." He is also loving all types of baby food, and all of a sudden, he has an amazing appetite. He is eating 3 jars of baby food a day on top of the formula. At first his favorites were bananas and applesauce, but now he pretty much eats it all. Joe made him a baby pancake today. I think he liked playing with it more than eating it. It was sticky but he sure had fun.

He is also much more interested in his toys that make noise and sing. His favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and it is one of the only ones he will sit still and listen to instead of trying to eat the book. All in all, he is still a very sweet and happy baby. He really does not fuss very much at all. Joe and I are so lucky!

Albert is still Beckett's protector. At Christmas, my friend Amanda brought her baby, Keegan, over. Keegan is three months older than Beckett and is crawling all over the place. The border collie in Albert came out and he was trying to herd Keegan. I hope he does the same for Beckett! Noodle is slowly starting to come around, but would still much rather have us petting her than paying attention to Beckett! Hope everyone had a happy holiday season! Joe and I are getting ready to head to Puerto Rico in February for a wedding. We are very excited to go, but also very sad to leave Beckett for the first time. I know it will be fine, but I have to talk myself into it first!